Warner Brothers made news this week by announcing it will release 21 films simultaneously in theaters and streaming via their HBOMax platform.
Of course, HBOMax is currently only available in the United States, which means these releases will only be available for same day release streaming in the US. However, the company plans an expansion of the service globally. HBOMax streams through a partnership with Crave as an added expense in Canada, but not all content is available. (Due to existing content deals.) A similar arrangement exists in the UK and other countries where HBO content is available. Expansion into more of Europe and Latin America is planned for the second half of 2021.
But Europeans won’t find 2021 releases among their streaming options. Wonder Woman 1984 will be available on HBOMax on Christmas Day and in theaters. In the UK it will be available on pay-per-view through Sky Atlantic roughly a month after it arrives in cinemas, but no word whether that it will be offered in other countries for streaming.
Since the beginning of the shutdown, studios, like WB, have had content planned for theaters. With cinema chains like AMC and Regal shutdown, they now have no way to get it out to potential audiences. Streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+ all experienced increased demand and a need for more content.
In September Disney+ offered the 2020 live-action Mulan as an exclusive pay per view at a cost of $30. It was met with middling success. They later decided to add the film as part of normal service in December 2020. Warner Brothers tried releasing Christopher Nolan’s Tenet to theaters where it grossly underperformed.
So now, even as a Covid-19 vaccination is on the cusp of arriving, new cases and hospitalizations are at all-time highs in the US. That makes it likely it will be a while before theaters will be able to open. By releasing its 2021 slate via HBOMax, WB increases their subscriber base as well as getting their content out to maximize their profits. But it comes at the cost of cinemas across the country. If it succeeds, who knows how much it will change the way we view movies.
The Warner Brothers 2021 slate includes:
The Little Things, Judas and the Black Messiah, Tom & Jerry, Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, In The Heights, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad, Reminiscence, Malignant, Dune, The Many Saints of Newark, King Richard, Cry Macho and Matrix 4
